clown pleco

[squirt_12]

what would be the minimum tank requirement for a clown pleco???? 20+gallons?????

thanks.

also they would need algae in the tank, hiding places, and they grow to about 4-6"????

[Tooch]

After lookin around alittle, here's a small summary of what I found


http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile80.html

-Claims top size of 5", but a 29gal tank.

http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/freshwater/catfish/clownplec.html

-This one says only 3 1/2", and between a 25 and 30gal tank.

http://www.worldcichlids.com/fishprofiles/clownpleco.html

-This one says 4" and a 2' tank. 74-82 degree water.


The common points between the 3 links are the tempature, between 74 - 82degrees and that they like to eat wood (driftwood). Some say they may not be the best alge eaters though. Hope some of these sites help steer you in the right direction. Know you only asked for tank size, but too much information never hurt ;-)

[squirt_12]

Yeha i have seen all of these sites.....but pretty well every site says something different so i wanted to get all of your opinions.

thanks ZCciVic22.

P.S.
If i were to get some for my 33g??? (after i sell my common pleco) how many would i beable to get??? or should i just get 1???

[Dave66]

Yeha i have seen all of these sites.....but pretty well every site says something different so i wanted to get all of your opinions.

thanks ZCciVic22.

P.S.
If i were to get some for my 33g??? (after i sell my common pleco) how many would i beable to get??? or should i just get 1???

There are several species of Peckoltias, which is why you got so many different lengths. The most common is P. vittata, which tops out at 4 inches, lives for ages and ages, and is attractive to boot (vittata means spotted). If you have several, and I mean several, hiding places you could probably keep three or six in a 33 gallon, but be ready to remove them if they squabble. They are cave spawners, and if you luck out and get a pair, successfully breeding them is a rare treat, and you'd have little trouble selling fry.

Dave

[squirt_12]

There are several species of Peckoltias, which is why you got so many different lengths. The most common is P. vittata, which tops out at 4 inches, lives for ages and ages, and is attractive to boot (vittata means spotted). If you have several, and I mean several, hiding places you could probably keep three or six in a 33 gallon, but be ready to remove them if they squabble. They are cave spawners, and if you luck out and get a pair, successfully breeding them is a rare treat, and you'd have little trouble selling fry.

Dave
ok...thanks Dave. yeah i am thinking of selling the common pleco from my 33g cause i don't like him...he is too big and i want something else....a little different for the tank and i really like the clown plecos. So i think that once i sell it and get rid of my snail problem i will get a couple of them.

In the picture it shows you a fairly recent shot of my tank..i added alot more rocks to the tank and some more ornaments... But if you want to tell me if i have enough hiding places and you have my full authority to take the picture and photoshop it if you want to show where i need to place more hiding places and such and i will make it happen.

are the clowns fairly peaceful??? or will they fight against other fish and or chase them??? from what i heard they are fairly peaceful. Also...do i need driftwood in the tank?? i heard that they like to eat it??? and if they do i can get some of the real stuff....should i get some???

thanks.

[Dave66]

ok...thanks Dave. yeah i am thinking of selling the common pleco from my 33g cause i don't like him...he is too big and i want something else....a little different for the tank and i really like the clown plecos. So i think that once i sell it and get rid of my snail problem i will get a couple of them.

In the picture it shows you a fairly recent shot of my tank..i added alot more rocks to the tank and some more ornaments... But if you want to tell me if i have enough hiding places and you have my full authority to take the picture and photoshop it if you want to show where i need to place more hiding places and such and i will make it happen.

are the clowns fairly peaceful??? or will they fight against other fish and or chase them??? from what i heard they are fairly peaceful. Also...do i need driftwood in the tank?? i heard that they like to eat it??? and if they do i can get some of the real stuff....should i get some???

thanks.

They don't actually eat the wood like the Panaques do, but they do like the wood for the biofilm and copepods on it. They are completely peaceful long as they have a place to call home. Years ago I kept eight of them in a 40 breeder with a bunch (nine or ten) flower pots, bunch of driftwood and large rounded stones. Had to wait a year til they grew up, but each male (three were in that group) was guarding a clutch of eggs within two months.

Dave

[sergo]

i've got a clown pleco in with my mbuna. i really never see him anymore since his buddy is gone (stolen with my 10gal). they really like to munch on wood (so get some) and they like zuccini too. they are really not algae eaters for glass cleaning but will munch on algae wafers if you put them in the tank. they are quite shy but from what i've seen they don't like being alone either. they will however not put up with other fish picking on them and i have seen mine flare up some spines on their bodies at my mbuna from time to time when bothered. i think i'm going to have to get another one so the one i have won't be lonely anymore and i may have to get a bigger piece of driftwood as my usd cats have taken it over.

[squirt_12]

ok....thanks everyone for all of the help. It has got me thinking....where do you go to get your pots??? like a hardware store??? they are fairly cheap right??? well i think that i will do what you said Dave. Tonight i might change around the tank and then take a pic...but i am not sure if i will change it around tonight or not.

By large round stones....do you mean...just them sitting there by themselves??? or stacked???? like stuff for them to swim in and around with????

thanks Dave, sergo, and ZCciVic22 :thumb:

[Dave66]

ok....thanks everyone for all of the help. It has got me thinking....where do you go to get your pots??? like a hardware store??? they are fairly cheap right??? well i think that i will do what you said Dave. Tonight i might change around the tank and then take a pic...but i am not sure if i will change it around tonight or not.

By large round stones....do you mean...just them sitting there by themselves??? or stacked???? like stuff for them to swim in and around with????

thanks Dave, sergo, and ZCciVic22 :thumb:

I get them from a pottery shop owned by folks I know, but the ones at the garden or grocery store are perfectly fine, not to mention el cheapo. You just need to wash them to get the dust and grime off them with clear water and salt. You just scrub with the salt and water til the water runs completely clear off the pot (s). You want pots of a diameter where the male can easily get in, but its tight around him. They'll also breed in a crack or chasm in driftwood, if he can jam himself in, and keep his big head blocking the door.
The stones I mean like a loose group that the fish can cruise around it, and have several places to 'suck on'. I like rounded, domed dark grey granite stones for such things.

Dave

[squirt_12]

You want pots of a diameter where the male can easily get in, but its tight around him.
i don't understand what you mean??? should the pot be longer than wide????
http://www.smartdirectsales.com/images/493_clay_pot_3_all_.gif
something like the pot on the right that is tell and sort of skinny????

and should they beable to swim right through it???

[Dave66]

i don't understand what you mean??? should the pot be longer than wide????
http://www.smartdirectsales.com/images/493_clay_pot_3_all_.gif
something like the pot on the right that is tell and sort of skinny????

and should they beable to swim right through it???

Nope, squirt, just a normal flower pot, like the ones on the bottom row of that gif you posted. I'm talking about the open end being just a little larger than the fish. I push my caves horizontally into the tiered gravel in my tanks, as a flower pot just laying out in the middle looks weird and unnatural to me.
By the way, those Peckoltia are dead easy to keep. If they run out of algae, they take right to veggies.

Dave

[squirt_12]

Nope, squirt, just a normal flower pot, like the ones on the bottom row of that gif you posted. I'm talking about the open end being just a little larger than the fish. I push my caves horizontally into the tiered gravel in my tanks, as a flower pot just laying out in the middle looks weird and unnatural to me.
By the way, those Peckoltia are dead easy to keep. If they run out of algae, they take right to veggies.

Dave
OOOOOO ok i understand now. so they have to have enough room to turn around in the pot so they don't get stuck???

thanks so much Dave...i am really considering them now.

[squirt_12]

about how much do these go for where you live??? $10??? i am just thinking on how many i should start off with???

[Dave66]

about how much do these go for where you live??? $10??? i am just thinking on how many i should start off with???

Too bad your tank isn't large enough for one of these (http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/fish2u_1981_62840729).
Polled some friends of mine in the business and they can run from 6.99 to 19.99 retail, depending on the shop. If I had your tank, I'd get three and hope for a boy-girl pair.
Good shot of a vittata here (http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_peckoltia.php)

Dave

[squirt_12]

don't tease me Dave......lol. Is that a golden nugget???? or no?? i am just guessing. lol
Well my LFS said that they would swap my pleco for one of the clown plecos (my common plece is around 8" long)
i think that the ones at my LFS are around $11 but i am not sure...i just wanted to know a price rang. I think that i will get 2-4 of them for my tank. I really like the way they look and i was something different though. I WANT to go tomorrow to get them but i am not sure if i will be able to or not.

do i need clay pots right away??? or can that wait for a while???? like say a week???

[Dave66]

don't tease me Dave......lol. Is that a golden nugget???? or no?? i am just guessing. lol
Well my LFS said that they would swap my pleco for one of the clown plecos (my common plece is around 8" long)
i think that the ones at my LFS are around $11 but i am not sure...i just wanted to know a price rang. I think that i will get 2-4 of them for my tank. I really like the way they look and i was something different though. I WANT to go tomorrow to get them but i am not sure if i will be able to or not.

do i need clay pots right away??? or can that wait for a while???? like say a week???

You can wait the week, no problem, but you'll have to be patient until they get settled in your tank to see them much. They start out as pretty shy.
That fish was Megalancistrus gigas aka L113. If you had a spare $300 laying around, you MIGHT be able to buy one. They are closely related to the Ancistrus genus but with no tentacles, but are a lot bigger than your average bristlenose. Got offered one a while back, but had to turn it down as I didn't have tank space for it.
A warning, though. Once you get an exotic pleco, you're gonna be hooked on them and start window shopping for the ornate and expensive. First exotic I kept was those vittata.
Couple more of gigas (http://www.amazon-exotic-import.de/Gallerie/L-Welse/Seiten/L%20113.htm)

Dave

[squirt_12]

You can wait the week, no problem, but you'll have to be patient until they get settled in your tank to see them much. They start out as pretty shy.
That fish was Megalancistrus gigas aka L113. If you had a spare $300 laying around, you MIGHT be able to buy one. They are closely related to the Ancistrus genus but with no tentacles, but are a lot bigger than your average bristlenose. Got offered one a while back, but had to turn it down as I didn't have tank space for it.
A warning, though. Once you get an exotic pleco, you're gonna be hooked on them and start window shopping for the ornate and expensive. First exotic I kept was those vittata.
Couple more of gigas (http://www.amazon-exotic-import.de/Gallerie/L-Welse/Seiten/L%20113.htm)

Dave
holly crap.......thats alot of money for a pleco. $300 and thats MAYBE??? holly. i hope i don't get addicted to exotic plecos. But i am going to get 2 for sure. Maybe 3 or 4.
how do you sex them??? can you when they are juviniels (sp?)?? cause if there is a way to sex them then i can look at them while i am at my LFS and buy them. If i need to pick them up to sex them i will be able to as i work at this store.....so that is no problem.

thanks Dave.

[Dave66]

holly crap.......thats alot of money for a pleco. $300 and thats MAYBE??? holly. i hope i don't get addicted to exotic plecos. But i am going to get 2 for sure. Maybe 3 or 4.
how do you sex them??? can you when they are juviniels (sp?)?? cause if there is a way to sex them then i can look at them while i am at my LFS and buy them. If i need to pick them up to sex them i will be able to as i work at this store.....so that is no problem.

thanks Dave.

When they are small its hard to tell the sexes, but if you look down from the top, you can sometimes see the males being slimmer and the pattern a bit tighter than the females. Venting is an option; he's pointed, she's blunt. When they are adults, its easy to pick the boys from the girls.
I'm not telling you how much I had to pay for six Lithoxancistrus tigris a couple years ago. However, there are many ornate plecos that sell for well under 50 bucks and some under 20 dollars.

Dave

[squirt_12]

ok thanks Dave.....down the road i will probably have more questions. lol.

I don't blame you not telling me howmuch you paid for 6 of them. I wouldn't tell anyone either. lol.
Ok...i think that i am already addicted to them. lol....and i don't even have any yet. I need more tank :(

[tropfish]

wow, all those pleco's are beautiful. I'm wanting one now lol.

[squirt_12]

wow, all those pleco's are beautiful. I'm wanting one now lol.
hahahaha i know what you mean.....lol.

[squirt_12]

will they eat stuff like frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp?? flake food?? i know that they will accept veggie rounds and veggies.

Does the way i have my 33g set up now...will the satisfy them for a little while until i get some more caves and some drift wood????

P.S.
The picture is what the 33g looks like right now.

[squirt_12]

ok so i am going to be getting 3 clown plecos for sure......do you think that i should get a couple more????

also.....how many pots should i get???? i plan on getting around....3-4 should i get more???

thanks.

EDIT - also don't get mad about the stocking in my tank as i am downsizing in the amount of fish.

[squirt_12]

anyone???? sorry about the multiple posts.

[StarBelliedSneetch]

my clown pleco is almost to inches, that lil guy when i got him he was about 3/4 love em, but he got really fat, is that normal. i had a crazy fantasy that him and my CAE mated, if only that were possible

[Treerat]

my clown pleco is almost to inches, that lil guy when i got him he was about 3/4 love em, but he got really fat, is that normal. i had a crazy fantasy that him and my CAE mated, if only that were possible
i'd think that being a catfish/pleco family fish, it is a female. Female catfish always seem to be a bit larger and/or have a larger belly. Im no expert but its a logical observation.

[Treerat]

I have two clown plecos, as well. They love the wood pile. I never see them anywhere else unless its out to nab a algae waffer that lands nearby. They are both are a bit larger than 2 inches and shave the cave entrances with the reedfish. And fun to watch them run off the two 8 inch plecos when they get to close to their area.

[Tigerbarb]

The smallest tank I've ever hear suggested was a 30g, though I am sure some aquariusts who didn't do much research on minimum tank sizes before stocking have them in 20-10g tanks. Im sure a clown pleco would be fine in your tank.

[Treerat]

Dutch and Ripley

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj271/Kilo3001/Dutch7July07.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj271/Kilo3001/Ripley7July07.jpg